Tanjobi
by Kagome-reincarnation
Summary: Kyoko plans for Tsuruga-san's birthday.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters within this story all belong to Nakamura-san.  
Warnings: Clean.  
Summary: Kyoko plans for Tsuruga-san's birthday.  
Completed: February 7, 2010

* * *

**Tanjobi  
**by: Kagome-reincarnation

* * *

Kyoko hummed happily as she exited from the web browser that she'd been lingering on. It was only three days until Tsuruga-san's birthday and this time she'd gotten the day right. She'd ordered his gift only moments before, but she had no doubt that it would arrive on time – the location was only two streets down from the Darumaya and she intended to pick it up on the ninth. That way, there was no way the gift could be late, and if something went wrong, she'd have at least twenty-four hours to look for something to use as a replacement.

It would be much better than the smile he'd requested last year. Yashiro-san had, in fact, been helpful when she'd asked for advice. Although he sometimes teased, he'd mentioned that Tsuruga-san didn't watch the dramas or movies that he acted in much less look through the magazines for which he posed in the many photo shoots that he was invited to. He'd mentioned that Tsuruga-san had once flipped through an Armandy magazine to see if he'd done his work accurately, but that had been the extent of his curiosity.

Both Yashiro-san and Kyoko had agreed that such a lack of interest in one's own work was bad for the health, especially when the only one that could truly value the work behind each scene were those involved.

And so the hapless Kyoko had gone about to order a series of dramas and movies that Tsuruga-san had acted in. The pay from her more recent jobs would easily cover it and leave her some money with which to offer to Okami-san and Taicho for letting her stay. She was aware that they'd protest but she was firm in her offerings. She couldn't freeload off of them – it would be rude! – and it would make her feel as though she were back at the Fuwas' main inn with Shotaro and his parents.

A scowl came to her face at the thought. Stupid Sho had caused so much discord in her life – there were times when she wanted to visit chaos and doom and all sorts of destruction upon him but she simply filed those feelings into the box reserved for revenge upon him.

But no – Kyoko couldn't think about such disgusting things! The girl checked her appearance in the mirror she'd acquired before grabbing her small purse and heading for the door. Yashiro-san had imposed several conditions for his advice and one had been a meal with Tsuruga for each of the three days preceding his birthday and dinner made by Kyoko herself on the day itself. She'd demurred, of course, protesting that Tsuruga-san would surely prefer something made by an official restaurant or something of the sort.

Of course, Yashiro-san had immediately stomped out her protests by pointing out that she'd researched professionally made Kyoko-style Japanese cuisine for her time with Hizuri Koo. Unable to argue, Kyoko had conceded. She guessed that she had enough pocket money to afford some high quality restaurants for Tsuruga-san, but she wondered if he had the time for her. Yashiro-san had said that his schedule was clear, but what if he'd wanted to look over some scripts or something…?

Kyoko shook her head, heading down the stairs of the Darumaya. She'd do her best for Tsuruga-san because these few days were reserved for him as his birthday was fast approaching. If she, his junior in all things showbiz related, didn't defer to him and show him the proper respect – especially with his birthday of all days coming up! – she'd be being horribly rude.

She thought back to what Yashiro-san said as she left the restaurant after giving her farewells to Taicho and his wife.

"Just be yourself, Kyoko-chan. Ren will be glad to see you."

* * *

AN: Don't have a heart attack, but this is actually going to be chaptered. Not for any suspicious reasons, but because it'll be weird to have three or four of Tsuruga-san's birthday relevant vignettes all separate. Might as well put them all together, right? So yeah. This is going to be chaptered.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The characters within this story all belong to Nakamura-san.  
Warnings: Clean.  
Summary: Kyoko plans for Tsuruga-san's birthday.  
Completed: February 8, 2010

* * *

**Tanjobi, part II  
**by: Kagome-reincarnation

* * *

Yesterday's dinner had gone off without a hitch, Kyoko thought. Well, almost without a hitch.

She'd been forced to cede the bill to him – he'd refused to allow her to pay for the dinner they'd partaken in. She found his choice of diners to be interesting – it was the same place that he'd taken her when she'd been working at his manager. She'd wondered if he'd realized it, but had quickly put it to coincidence.

She'd ordered the same thing as that time, too. Hamburger steak was too delicious for her to give up when it was dancing before her on the menu, tempting her to partake. He'd been laughing at her then, but Kyoko had long since learned that it was alright to let him laugh. Tsuruga-san wasn't a malicious person and he most certainly wasn't teasing her in the way Sho would.

For a moment, her thoughts had turned dark – terrifyingly so – but they'd quickly been stamped out when she'd returned her attention to her hamburger steak. She'd been surprised when it had happened. As of late, she'd actually been far less susceptible to the usual demonically vengeful thoughts that were relevant to the male singer. Even seeing him on television had her changing the channel instead of ranting, and hearing his songs on the radio had only impressed on her his quick growth, making her yearn to improve as well.

Each time one of his singles took the place of its predecessor on the Oricon charts, she no longer saw them as an insult, but as a challenge that was there simply to dare her to become a better actress – to become stronger in the world of showbiz.

To Kyoko, though, revenge was no longer the first thing on her mind. When she saw chocolates, she no longer thought of the dreadful not-kiss, but instead of the wine jelly she'd made for Tsuruga-san. When she saw his commercials, often followed by commercials for dramas that involved the wide range of actors and actresses that she now knew, she only saw the contrast between Sho and the world of acting.

Her expression neutral, it was with these thoughts in mind that she moved to meet Tsuruga-san once more for dinner.

He'd been piqued by her apparently inattentive state and asked her, "Is there something wrong?"

She'd immediately snapped to attention and had shaken her head, a grin coming up to replace the blankness. "Not at all!" she'd said with a broad smile.

Tsuruga-san had been reassured by the smile. It wasn't one that he was used to seeing in the midst of acting out a scene, but one that was entirely sincere and had appeared unwarranted. He could tell from the signs at the corners of her eyes and the fact that her lies were ridiculously easy to see through. Actors, having learned to deceive their audiences, were the most skilled liars, after all, and Tsuruga Ren was no exception. Kyoko, however, was far too good natured to consider lying to him after the first incident in which he'd unearthed the fib.

He stopped the grin before it reached his face. She'd surely never lie to him again – not after the horrified scream in the elevator or the impressive bowing she'd done afterwards.

"Where shall we go for dinner today?" he asked her instead, changing the subject and thinking of where she might like to go. Although he hadn't asked his manager to take advantage of his coming birthday – he'd completely forgotten and likely wouldn't have realized it were his birthday if Yashiro-san hadn't reminded him – he was pleased that he had. Although his manager was a complete and total meddler, it couldn't be denied that Yashiro-san only had his best interests at heart, as displayed by the unofficial dinner dates he'd set up with Kyoko.

Yes, there were times when Ren really and truly wanted to hit the man – or hide from him, such as the time when Yashiro-san had effectively disabled his cell phone – but there really was no getting away from the well-meaning gossip.

Especially when he started using Kyoko against him. He shook his head wryly at the thought. Yashiro-san had actually threatened to cut off all contact with Kyoko for a month when he'd made the foolish mistake of mentioning that he had no time to eat if they were to make it to the next appointment on time. The worst part about it, though, was the fact that he'd seriously considered it, weighing his reputation as an actor who was always on time against lack of contact with Kyoko for a month.

It was inevitable that he'd chosen to be on time, though. Cell phones, after all, had been invented for a reason.

Besides, there was no way Yashiro-san could keep him away from Kyoko when they were on the set together.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The characters within this story all belong to Nakamura-san.  
Warnings: Clean.  
Summary: Kyoko plans for Tsuruga-san's birthday.  
Completed: February 9, 2010

* * *

**Tanjobi, part III  
**by: Kagome-reincarnation

* * *

As far as Yashiro-san saw it, his plan had been a success. Not only had his actor been behaving oddly pleasant for the past two days, he'd also been exceedingly chatty with Kyoko-chan. Not that he minded – it was good for Ren to socialize more, even if it really was with only one person. Despite his words, after all, Ren's manager was quite perceptive in matters related to Ren and his love life was no exception.

Ren liked Kyoko-chan. Yashiro-san couldn't prevent a sly grin from spreading across his face as he thought about the two. Ren liked Kyoko-chan in _that_ way.

Filming for Dark Moon, although far past any possible hurdles or hindrances, seemed to be a far more interesting now that Ren's birthday was approaching. As usual, his coworkers, particularly of the female variety, had begun to hang around Ren more than usual. Some, Yashiro-san noticed, introduced themselves for the first time.

Unfortunately for them – and much to Yashiro-san's glee – Ren spent every moment off the set with Kyoko-chan.

The only real problem that the manager could see with the way things were going was that he himself wouldn't be able to inquire about the dinners. At least, not until Ren was distracted… He paused as a thought occurred to him and pulled a copy of the script from the bag he held. Flipping through it to the scenes that had been outlined for the day, he was pleased to find that he would, in fact, be able to speak with Kyoko. There were several scenes lined up together that called for Kazuki and Mizuki to be on stage together, leaving him ample time to question the girl about the meals that she and Ren had been taking together.

As if on cue, Director Ogata called for the necessary characters, easily drawing his actor from the girl in question. Even as Ren headed for the set, Yashiro-san moved towards the girl his actor had been speaking with.

"Yashiro-san!" she greeted him cheerily. "How are you? It's been so busy that I haven't even had the chance to properly greet you today."

Yashiro-san, of course, simply nodded, his expression one of innocence. "Don't worry about it, Kyoko-chan," he told her kindly. "It can get a lot worse and there are even times when I can't even talk to Ren because he's always on the set."

Her eyes went wide – while it was understandable that two actors might not get the chance to communicate during a take, it was quite different when it came to an actor and his manager. Not only was communication between them necessary so the manager could adequately prepare for departure, possible paperwork, or any of the other necessary activities relegated to managers, it was vital in ensuring the schedule, typically kept by the manager, was kept to at all times to avoid possible tardiness and absences.

So the fact that even Tsuruga-san had been unable to communicate with Yashiro-san at certain points in his career complete blew Kyoko away. More so because of the fact that he held a record for always being on time – one that she knew was important to him because she herself had helped to protect it.

Gauging her reaction, Yashiro-san changed the subject – and the idolizing look on her face. "How was dinner last night?"

The shift in Kyoko was impressive as well as fearful. Yashiro-san couldn't help but wonder briefly if he'd ever be able to adjust to her quick changes in behavior and facial expression.

She'd gone from awed to pleased in the blink of an eye.

Yashiro-san grinned. "I take it yesterday's meal went well, then?"

Kyoko nodded, a curious smile coming to the surface. Yashiro-san wondered if she even realized that she was displaying such an expression – with her eyes trained on Ren, no less.

"Where did you go?" he asked, curious. That smile… It wouldn't have come from just a simple meal, would it? Something had to have happened for such an expression to appear. It must have been drastic, because he certainly couldn't remember seeing that look on her face before.

"Ah," she blushed lightly, "We ate at the Darumaya…"

Yashiro-san blinked, surprised. The Darumaya? Wasn't that… "Where you work?"

She nodded. "Yes, it is. I help out whenever I have the time, although my schedule leaves some to be desired…" Kyoko's face brightened. "But Taichou and Okami-san were pleased to get so many customers yesterday and Tsuruga-san said he liked their food!"

Even as she spoke, Yashiro-san could guess at the thoughts going on behind her head. It wasn't unlikely that her loyalty for her senior and her loyalty to her parent-figures had clashed for a bit the day before. The fact that both parties seemed to come to some sort of unspoken agreement was good.

At least, Yashiro-san assumed there had been an unspoken agreement. Since it was Ren, he had no doubt the actor had been exceedingly polite and had been on his best behavior. On the other hand, since Ren had met Kyoko-chan's parental figures for the first time… Well, there really was no telling what had happened.

"Did you talk about many things?" he asked her, wisely avoiding the possibly bomb-filled field.

Kyoko nodded, pleased. "Yes, we spoke about some of the dramas we've been working in." Then, suddenly, her expression went dark before switching to one of pleading. "Yashiro-san, help me."

Puzzled, he gestured for her to continue speaking.

"I don't know what to make Tsuruga-san for dinner tomorrow!"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The characters within this story all belong to Nakamura-san.  
Warnings: Clean.  
Summary: Kyoko plans for Tsuruga-san's birthday.  
Completed: February 10, 2010

* * *

**Tanjobi, part IV  
**by: Kagome-reincarnation

* * *

After an extensive debate with Yashiro-san, Kyoko had been forced to concede defeat. They simply had not been able to come up with a good idea on what exactly she ought to present to Tsuruga-san.

"Why don't you just go with the Kyoto-style cuisine you did for Kuu-san?" Yashiro-san had suggested after several long moments.

She shook her head, a frown on her face. "No, I couldn't possibly do that… What if he doesn't like Kyoto-style food? Since you were with him all the time, I was hoping you'd know your tastes…" She gave a defeated sigh. "I'd forgotten you can't make him eat, much less learn his tastes…"

Yashiro-san couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by the comment. Although he was aware that Kyoko-chan couldn't possibly be trying to insult him, the facts were the facts, and even he couldn't deny them. He'd laughed nervously before turning the conversation to other things.

Although Kyoko had mused on it for a while afterwards and the rest of the day, she hadn't been able to decide on what it was that Tsuruga-san might like to eat. She couldn't help but resent the man just a bit for not eating as frequently as he ought – if he did, she might at least have some sort of small clue about it! Her apparitions came to the surface, coiling about her in comfortable loops, trailing their various grudges. If only Tsuruga-san wasn't so stingy with his diet! Kyoko began to grow angry as she thought of it.

"Mogami-san? Is something wrong?"

And he'd snapped her out of the negative turmoil that had embroiled her.

"Eh?" she blinked at him innocently as he looked at her.

"You seemed to have something on your mind," he explained. His expression showed he wanted to ask a bit more, but held restraint.

Kyoko shook her head, smiling at her senior. "No, no – it's nothing to worry you about, Tsuruga-san!"

Of course, she'd become absorbed in her food in an attempt to act normal. The gesture, however, caused her to miss the frown that flickered across his face as he observed her. He was worried about what it was that she'd been thinking about, especially because she hadn't had her usual anti-Fuwa reaction.

Still, Ren thought, as long as she wasn't thinking about his rival, it didn't really matter to him. She'd been distracted by him far too easily for it to be Fuwa that irked her. Since she'd passed it off as nothing important, he could deduce that it had nothing to do with work – when it came to acting, she asked him for advice, and even when she tried to avoid doing so, he was usually able to pick up on it to give her some regardless.

He wondered if something had happened with her friend, the Love Me coworker, but he couldn't be sure.

Ren was pulled from his musings by a query and was absorbed into the conversation with Kyoko, the worries having been momentarily erased from his mind.

When he did finally decide to ask her about it, though, they'd finished eating and he was driving her back to the Darumaya. He simply didn't get an opportunity to bring it up again, though he couldn't tell whether she was evading the possible question on purpose or not.

He'd been forced to wait until the next day, but as soon as he'd gotten to the set, he'd been swarmed over by his female coworkers. He'd sent his manager a puzzled look – quite possibly a panicked one – but the man had only smirked at him. Tsuruga Ren had immediately wished instant doom upon the man, but it was to no avail.

After listening to the swarm of women, though, he realized what it was that they wanted – to congratulate him for his birthday.

Not that he'd forgotten. He'd remembered Yashiro-san arranging the dinners with Kyoko and whatnot for his birthday, after all… No, no – the only thing he'd forgotten was that his popularity would have him swimming in women and presents the whole day.

* * *

_**AN: Yes, I do have a mean streak. XDDD  
Also, thanks very much to **stice73** and **Draaga Light** for informing me of my typoes. xD I thought there would be one or two, but I hadn't realized there were so many. Ah, the dangers of typing at four AM. D:  
**_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: The characters within this story all belong to Nakamura-san.  
Warnings: Clean.  
Summary: Kyoko plans for Tsuruga-san's birthday.  
Completed: February 11, 2010

* * *

**Tanjobi, part V  
**by: Kagome-reincarnation

* * *

Kotonami Kanae has always supported the girl she'd begun to call her best friend since the day of the Kurara commercial. She's never once doubted Kyoko, much less her sincerity or understanding of things. Of course, her belief in the girl's skills, despite the fact that she knew Kyoko was entirely too oblivious, completely set her up for a shock.

Kyoko had told her everything about the tenth of February, and that everything included details about before, during, and after. And, more importantly, Tsuruga-san's request. Kanae had been forced to calm herself before reaching out to take the other girl by the shoulders and simply shake her. Kyoko's prowess in the acting world – and her progress, as well – had easily hidden her lack of understanding.

Then again, she was forced to admit, Kyoko was the number one member of the Love Me section for a reason and it was hardly because she didn't do her work. Love had been effectively stamped out of her heart and with good reason. Kanae hated to admit it, but what Fuwa Sho had done to Kyoko was terrible and almost unbelievable on several levels. She personally wanted to bring him to his knees but for the fact that Kyoko had already claimed him as her prey.

But still, the girl's obliviousness was going to get her into some awkward position one day that she wouldn't be able to get out of if she kept going like this. How could she not understand that Tsuruga-san was in love with her? Even Kanae, who held love at the same level as her family – which always sent shudders through her – could understand that he'd do anything to keep Kyoko happy, sheltered, and safe.

She thought about what Kyoko had said, trying to analyze it for any hint that the girl wasn't as simple as she acted. After several minutes, she gave up.

"We went shopping first," Kyoko had explained cheerily over cups of tea, "We weren't sure what we were going to eat for dinner so he just bought a bunch of things. There were steaks, fish, pasta, vegetables, spices – all sorts of things." She frowned a bit at the memory. "Tsuruga-san wouldn't let me pay for anything, though…"

"And?" Kanae had prompted. "Did he carry everything as well?"

Kyoko had looked surprised then, but had simply clapped her hands together, "Moko-san, you're amazing!" she'd praised the black-haired woman. "How did you know?"

Kanae shrugged. It was something a guy out shopping with his girlfriend would do, so there was no reason to think Tsuruga-san wouldn't.

She listened as Kyoko went on. "And when he drove us back to his place, I had to take the keys from his pocket."

At this, Kanae had raised an eyebrow. Tsuruga-san was well known for being prepared for any situation that cropped up on set. It wasn't a far cry from his appearance off the set, especially with Yashiro-san as his director. The fact that Kyoko had caught him unawares was a fairly large indicator of what he thought of the girl.

Kanae wondered if he'd planned it.

"And when we got inside, I went ahead and gave him his present."

Although Kyoko continued to speak, Kanae interrupted her. "What did you get him? Did he like it?"

Kyoko nodded. "Yes – I got him DVDs of the movies and dramas he's worked in."

Kanae blinked. That… wasn't normal. No matter how she looked at it. Kyoko wasn't a big spender – she certainly didn't spend as much on herself as she could or should – but she'd spent more than the typical amount of money spent on a birthday gift on her senior in showbiz? Perhaps Kyoko wasn't as oblivious as she thought.

"Yashiro-san said he'd never seen his own work, so I wanted to show it to him," Kyoko continued. "How he looks while on stage."

"And then?" Kanae urged her friend to continue, taking a sip of her oolong tea.

"He thanked me and we watched some of the first episodes of Dark Moon together," Kyoko blushed and Kanae latched onto it like a fangirl with her OTP.

"What happened?" she asked, her expression vaguely suspicious.

Kyoko's blush deepened but she did explain. "He… Ah… He stretched his arms out and placed them against the back of the sofa," she whispered.

Kanae grinned. So Kyoko _was_ still in the game, even if the girl didn't know it herself.

"And?" Kanae asked. "Did you like it?"

Kyoko looked scandalized for a moment before her expression became flustered. And then it became confused.

Kanae let her muddle through the mess of thoughts in her head for several minutes before deciding to give the girl a break. "What happened next?"

"After we watched, I asked him what he wanted to eat and he asked me what I liked best…" Kyoko gave a sigh, before growing slightly frustrated. "Tsuruga-san simply doesn't understand that when it's his birthday, he should eat what he wants!"

Kanae gave a soft chuckle. "Men are silly, aren't they?" she nodded to Kyoko to continue.

"I made him choose something," the girl said almost proudly. "And we had Kyoto-style cuisine for dinner after all."

Then a frown appeared on her face. "But then, after we ate…"

Kanae raised an eyebrow at the girl's sudden change in mood. "What happened?" she asked, watching as Kyoko swiveled her green tea before taking a sip.

"He drove me home."

"And what did he do to you?" Kanae purposely construed her statement to bring forth results.

Kyoko's expression became slightly panicked as she spoke up in Tsuruga-san's defense. "He didn't do anything bad or anything like that!" she said quickly. "It's… he just asked me to cook for him."

Kanae raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the words. "What?"

"Ah, I mean…" Kyoko took a moment to reorder her thoughts. "Because he purchased so much food and he didn't know how to cook it," she explained. "He asked me to return and continue cooking for him until it runs out."

Kanae paused before responding, mulling the girl's words over in her head. It was interesting to hear such a thing, especially because she remembered seeing Tsuruga-san appearing in a guest appearance on a variety cooking show.

He'd taken first place.

* * *

**AN: And that's the end. Hope you enjoyed it~!**


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